30 Jul 2021
China’s Afghan conundrum
Afghanistan is not reputed to be the “graveyard of empires” without reason.
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30 Jul 2021
Why China and North Korea decided to renew a 60-year-old treaty
Mutual interests abound in a win-win for the alliance of single-party states. -
29 Jul 2021
Economic diplomacy: Going for gold in 20 years and counting
Brisbane will host the Olympics in 2032 but the starter’s gun has already sounded in the cost versus benefits contest. -
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29 Jul 2021
Africa and Europe rally to contain Islamic insurgency in Mozambique
But it won’t be the end of the story. -
28 Jul 2021
Far more world leaders visit China than America
If leadership diplomacy was an Olympic sport, Beijing beats Washington to the gold medal. -
28 Jul 2021
India: A very colonial hangover
The Pegasus spyware saga puts a spotlight, again, on a lack of parliamentary accountability for intelligence agencies. -
28 Jul 2021
Merkel and beyond
With grace under pressure, Angela Merkel has led Germany through several emergencies. What of the next Chancellor? -
27 Jul 2021
The connectivity trade-off from social media misinformation
Countries of the Global South hold the greatest potential for new internet users. But also the spectre of violence. -
27 Jul 2021
When the chips are down: Biden’s semiconductor war
Export controls on US semiconductor tech into China didn’t stop with Trump. -
26 Jul 2021
Another proxy war in Afghanistan?
India and Pakistan both have deep ties to Afghanistan and as US troops withdraw, a fresh conflict may fill the void. -
26 Jul 2021
Bringing home Australian children trapped in Syrian camps
Faced with thorny legal and security obstacles for the adults, it may be better to return children alone. -
23 Jul 2021
Shouldering their fair share? The ANZUS allies in the Pacific Islands
A reported pivot by special forces to the region raises questions about the role expected of Australia and New Zealand. -
23 Jul 2021
China’s numbers game harms us all
As Beijing attempts to tackle some shared world problems, its opaque regime means the benefits are limited. -
22 Jul 2021
US-China rivalries: What matters for ASEAN
Southeast Asian nations have learned to be wary of big powers offering promises of security in return for loyalty. -
22 Jul 2021
Bringing the grey zone into focus
Australia must be ready for China’s next move in the volatile game of statecraft brinkmanship. -
21 Jul 2021
The politics of PacMan
Manny Pacquiao is famously conservative. By turning on Rodrigo Duterte, the boxer-senator wants to deliver a knock-out. -
21 Jul 2021
Defending the liberal international order
John Ikenberry takes a long view of the success and failures of efforts to make “a world safe for democracy”. -
20 Jul 2021
Postcard from Tokyo 2020+1
Sport and politics make an unhappy union at one of the most controversial Olympics ever. -
20 Jul 2021
Can Biden’s Build Back Better World compete with the Belt and Road?
Overhyping China’s BRI can be self-defeating and play into Beijing’s hands. -
19 Jul 2021
Press freedom more important than ever in the Asia–Pacific
A new database tracks incursions and crackdowns on journalists’ capacity to report. -
19 Jul 2021
Russia’s National Security Strategy: Same book, new cover
The subtext of the country’s new security strategy reveals a regime beset by suspicion and insecurity. -
16 Jul 2021
From polls to posts, Dili and the DMZ, my unexpected think tank career
Farewell after 14 years charting Australia in the world from the country’s leading foreign policy research institute. -
16 Jul 2021
The G20 “diplomacy dividend”
Civil engagement groups have a valuable commodity at their disposal: time. -
15 Jul 2021
Economic diplomacy: Little Australia spends slowly in the Pacific
Can a step-up speed up? And what of the economic and cultural benefits of migration in Covid times? -
15 Jul 2021
Indonesia cannot afford to put its economy before people
A religious festival has become a super-spreading event. The government knew the risk but didn’t do enough to stop it. -
15 Jul 2021
EU the new kingpin in global trade order
The world moves on, while a crippled Appellate Body takes the US with it. -
14 Jul 2021
Olympic glory: Tokyo’s success is a win for Beijing
China has just as much riding on a successful Tokyo 2020 Games as Japan. -
14 Jul 2021
Sun, surf and a sandbox escape from a pandemic
Thailand’s holiday island Phuket is trialling vaccine tourism in a bid to recover from the Covid-19 wave. -
14 Jul 2021
China’s law on conscription under revision
An emphasis on second enlistments suggests not enough young people are volunteering to meet recruitment quotas. -
13 Jul 2021
Afghanistan, Australia and the visa conundrum
What responsibility does the government have for those on the periphery of the Australian campaign in Afghanistan? -
13 Jul 2021
Taipei’s growing legion of friends
There’s serious regional clout behind Taiwan’s goal of peace and stability. -
13 Jul 2021
Xi and beyond
More ambitious, more educated and more engaged — the CCP powers into the second century. -
12 Jul 2021
Whatever happened to the South China Sea ruling?
Five years ago the Philippines largely squandered a crucial legal win. But it’s not too late to marshal support. -
12 Jul 2021
Covid crisis deepens in junta-ruled Myanmar
Patchwork restrictions haven’t contained the virus. And now the danger is spilling over the border to neighbours. -
12 Jul 2021
Abandoning Afghanistan won’t bring peace
The pledge of a “a responsible end” to America’s involvement in Afghanistan’s war will likely have the opposite effect. -
9 Jul 2021
China’s forced invisibility of LGBTQ communities on social media
A safe place for young people in China to discuss their sexual and gender identities has suddenly been silenced. -
9 Jul 2021
OPEC Standoff: Resetting market share
Interests within OPEC+ are diverging as fundamentals are slowly catching up from a pandemic demand drop. -
9 Jul 2021
The changing face of Australia’s diplomatic network
A stocktake shows rising political appointments but Australia’s heads of mission now far better reflect the population. -
8 Jul 2021
Ukraine: Balancing China and the rest
With strong links to Washington, Kiev finds itself economically bound to Beijing. -
8 Jul 2021
Staying ahead in global tech leadership
As US-China rivalry creates the prospect of competing technology ecosystems, practical measures will maintain an edge. -
7 Jul 2021
Personality in foreign policy
How leaders interact and are judged can shape a country’s approach to the world as much as economics or military might. -
6 Jul 2021
Australia right to back Biden on democracy
Foreign policy trade-offs are an uncomfortable truth on the road to rules-based freedom. -
5 Jul 2021
Aiding the Pacific during Covid: An update
While the money is flowing, the outlook for the region has also darkened considerably. -
2 Jul 2021
Playing catch-up: Britain’s re-engagement with Southeast Asia
UK Foreign Secretary manages a mid-pandemic whistle-stop tour of Asian nations in a bid to promote “Global Britain”. -
2 Jul 2021
Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy
If Australia wants to adopt a values-based approach to the world, the next step is obvious. -
1 Jul 2021
Donald Rumsfeld: Defiance defined by Iraq
Rumsfeld’s memorable quips should not obscure his central role in the catastrophe of the 2003 Iraq invasion. -
1 Jul 2021
Economic diplomacy: Surviving the pandemic’s foreign predators
Chinese investment interest in Australia remains high despite the coercion row. -
1 Jul 2021
Philippines: Aquino’s death marks another democratic turning point
The passing of the former president – and scion of political heroes – could remind people of the power of their choice. -
1 Jul 2021
Sweet and sour: Taiwan’s pork and pineapple battles
Nationalist consumer sentiment has become a decisive factor in Taiwan’s food bans with the US and China.